§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to compile a register of Service veterans; what his estimate is of the number of living veterans; and what information is recorded to assess the welfare needs of former members of the armed services. [131960]
§ Mr. CaplinThe Ministry of Defence does not compile a register of Service veterans. At the first Veterans Forum held on the 24 July 2001 it was agreed with members of the Confederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations that the definition of a veteran should be as wide as possible and cover anyone who has ever served in HM forces, their widows/ers and dependants.
I announced, to the House (17 September 2003, Official Report, column 51WS) the publication of a King's College London research paper into areas of unmet need within the veterans' community. This found that although joining the armed forces is generally a positive experience, with the overwhelming majority of Service leavers appearing to do well in civilian life, there is a small minority of Service personnel who have difficulty making the transition back to civilian life.
Personnel most vulnerable to problems of transition include those discharged for medical reasons, including mental health conditions, as well as those dismissed for disciplinary reasons, premature leavers and those discharged as temperamentally unsuitable. The Ministry of Defence is working with a wide range of organisations across Government, the ex-Service voluntary sector 659W and other non-governmental organisations to further improve the support available to these and other ex-Service personnel.